University of Massachusets Athletics
Unknown Legend in Her Time
November 15, 2000 | Women's Soccer
Nov. 15, 2000
By Jorma Kansanen
The Maroon & White
In the fall of 1996, my five-year run of working with and for the UMass women's soccer team began. Looking back, it was quite a year to start this experience with such a tradition-rich program.
Covering the team for a variety of local and national newspapers placed me front row and center for the epilogue of a great senior class and the team's gritty run to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. One member of that strong senior contingent was Erin Lynch.
That fall, I wrote a feature on the three-time All-American and two-time Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, touting her in the words of Neil Young as an "unknown legend in her time." Now, it seems we have another promising legend in our midst, Michelle Luttati.
The freshman defender has taken up Lynch's old haunting grounds in the central defense this season for coach Jim Rudy, and has already made it look like home. With no comfort zone afforded to her whatsoever, Luttati has gone up against some of the top forwards in the conference, the region and the country as one of the chief marking backs for the Minutewomen.
So far, the Westford, Mass., native has helped shut down the offensive threats of Syracuse's Erin O'Grady, UConn's Mary-Frances Monroe, Xavier's Annette Gruber as well as many others. To Rudy, Luttati's success has been no surprise, and comparisons to former All-Americans like Lynch, as well as 1997 first team selection Erica Iverson, are not far from reality.
"She is similar to Lynch even though she looks at times like Iverson physically," said Rudy. "She is also similar in that she has neither an aggressive nor overt personality. She's unassuming in a very positive way. She gets it done very effectively without calling great attention to herself.
"Next year we add the `attacking' package to her game and like Lynch she could become the quiet dagger that comes from behind to do the damage."
Another person with a great amount of experience concerning the judgment of Minutewoman greatness is Mary Curtis, the current head coach at Holy Cross and a 1990 UMass graduate. Curtis was named captain her senior year and was a member of two NCAA Final Four teams. Hence, her perspective on both UMass and Luttati, as she was her coach for the Worcester-based Juventus club team, is from educated eyes.
Curtis even sees some comparisons concerning Luttati's domination in the air to another Minutewoman great - 1990 Hermann Trophy award winner April Kater.
"Her contribution to the program at UMass this season does not surprise me in the least. She is a phenomenal athlete who is constantly developing her game," said Curtis. "She came to my club team with extensive experience as a sweeper. I saw her jump for a header at practice, which reminded me a tad of April Kater, and decided to have a look at her in our middle. She is a tough defender, on the ground quite a bit and is she still queen of the slide tackle.
"Michelle has loads of talent. I am sure JR will provide all she needs to accomplish anything she desires on the soccer field."
Luttati has the talent level to succeed in Division I women's soccer, but more importantly, loves and believes in the game of soccer itself. However, all this is nowhere close to her belief in her teammates - which all the Minutewoman greats share.
"My favorite part about the game is the intensity of the competition," said Luttati. "I also love the feeling of playing a team sport, where I can rely on my teammates and they can rely on me. It gives me so much more satisfaction to play on a team and win as a team then I would get from any individual recognition or awards.
"I try to take as much advice from my teammates whom I respect greatly as players both on and off the field. Basically because I am not that individually skilled, I try to bring my jumping ability and defensive enthusiasm to the team."
Now, with all of this said, what brought such a promising prospect to UMass? A four-year attendee of Rudy's summer soccer camps and a student of a UMass alum in club ball, Luttati was surrounded by the Minutewoman mystique for some time and provided a comfort level when it came to her final decision.
"Having come to camp here for four years, I have gotten to know coach (Rudy) pretty well," said Luttati, who along with current Minutewomen Martha Conover and Erin Lilly were named MVP of Rudy's summer soccer camps in different years. "He has coached some great players, so I knew that I was coming into a great environment.
"I never thought that I wanted to stay in Massachusetts, but I really loved the campus, and always knew that I wanted a large school. When I came for my recruiting visit, I really enjoyed the girls on the team. Basically it was everything I wanted out of a school. Its funny how everything kind of just works out the way it does."
When it came to her final choices of colleges to attend, UMass and Division III powerhouse Wheaton College were the only schools that truly recruited Luttati. In the modern-day, cut-throat, high-powered business that Division I women's soccer recruiting has become, the idea that a player of Luttati's caliber slipping through the cracks is almost ludicrous to consider. When asked why such a player would not be sought after more fervently, Wheaton College head coach Luis Reis was left dumbfounded.
"I don't know! Maybe Jim and I are the only ones who see the game differently. I don't know if that is good or bad," Reis joked. "She is a perfect example of how sometimes very good players with incredible potential fall through the cracks. Yet someone recognized her ability and therefore reaped the wonderful benefits of coaching a classy individual like Michelle Luttati.
"I remember telling [Rudy] that wherever she ends up, people would be asking who Michelle is. I believed that she would be an All-Regional and All-American for us at Division III. I also believed that her best soccer would be in the years to come. So, therefore I feel strongly in my prediction that she will be well known by the time that she is finished with her college career. Unfortunately, it will be playing for a great guy in Jim Rudy instead of at Wheaton College." Rudy mirrors such statements, and shares the foresight of Luttati's potential.
"I don't think she was ever seriously considered by the state ODP [Olympic Development Program]," said Rudy. "Most coaches who evaluate CAN tell you who the technical frontrunners and midfielders are and maybe who the strong defenders are. But, FEW can tell you who the efficient, get-the-job done people are - the ones that connect at a high percentage and play simply very well. Flash and flair is good, but the bottom line is efficiency.
"If you can identify it...go get it. [Her early success] is no surprise at all. I always knew that she'd do well immediately somewhere on the field. She is skillful, enthusiastic for training, a super personality, always on time...and someone I felt fit our tradition."
Whether or not Luttati will reach the stature of her predecessors is yet to be determined. At this juncture, she has shown all the signs of reaching that level of accomplishment. Yet, the biggest concern in Luttati's mind is her team's success - for the present and the future.
"Although at the end of this year we will lose two great seniors to graduation, the core of our team will remain the same," said Luttati. "So, I feel like we already have an advantage for next season. I think that we can only continue to get better. Having played together, I think that we will have a successful season again next year."
Such sentiments are no surprise to Curtis. In her mind, her former player is made up of the rare stuff that is indigenous to the "great" player.
"[Michelle] never has an unkind word to say about anyone or any situation and if you ever spend any time with Michelle be prepared to laugh! She is a riot," said Curtis. "Michelle is one of those rare personalities. I would refer to her as a positive life force."
